Monday, July 14, 2008

Yesterday, French President Nicholas Sarkozy launched the Mediterranean Union, an alliance encompassing the EU and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, in Paris. The idea of a Mediterranean Union has been something of a pet project for Mr. Sarkozy, and many analysts expecting this launch--and indeed the union--to be little more than a bit of political flash and glitter.

France and Egypt will be the first co-chairs of the Mediterranean Union (Source: Website of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2008).

While the ultimate fate of the Mediterranean Union may indeed disappoint, the inauguration of the union far surpassed the cynical expectations. For starters, even before the official launch of the Mediterranean Union, French helped procure an agreement for Lebanon and Syria to set up full fledged embassies in each other's country, something which has not happened since both Syria and Lebanon gained independence from European rule. Then there was the seeming rapprochement between Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the West Bank's President Mahmoud Abbas.

However, it does seem somewhat unfair, and even divisive, that while all members of the European Union are now members of the Mediterranean Union, even those European states which do not even border the Mediterranean Sea, that not all members of the African Union are made member states of the Mediterranean Union. Undoubtedly, sub-Saharan Africans' North African neighbors did not push all that hard--or at all--for every African Union state to be granted admittance to the union. The one North Africa leader who might have made such an effort, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, did not attend, viewing the union as an attempt at colonialism.

For the Arabs, having a union with Europeans being initiated by the French in Paris is fitting, as the word for Europe in Arabic is derived from the word for 'France.' For Israel and Turkey, both those countries have strong ties to the Gallic country.

The union will comprise 43 states, consisting of the EU, North Africa, and Levant; additionally, the union will be headed by a "North-South co-presidency."

Meanwhile, the website for the French Presidency of the European Union 2008 states as the basis of the Mediterranean Union:

"a political mobilisation at the highest level through Summits of Heads of State and Government every two years; a governance on an equal footing, in the form of a North-South co-presidency and a permanent secretariat with equal representation; a prioritising of concrete projects with a regional dimension that create de facto solidarity."

These principles are largely for the purpose of realizing two goals, reducing illegal immigration from North Africa, and reducing regional hostilities.

All quotes and pictures in this article are from the Website of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2008.

This last goal will be particularly difficult. Already mentioned, are rivals Israel and Syria, along with the Palestinians and Lebanon. Then there are Greece and Turkey, Morocco and Algeria, and even Spain and Morocco and Turkey and Cyprus. Many of these were brought up by President Sarkozy himself. He hopes that the Mediterranean Union will bring peace and prosperity to the Mediterranean region the same way that the European Union brought peace and prosperity to Europe.

This is a noble objective, but a difficult one to achieve. As stated, many of the countries have political rivalries. There is also the issue of religious values between Christians, Atheists, Muslims, and Jews. Add onto that that there is a huge gap in the levels of economic development between members, far more than between members in the European Union. And there is also system of government; while many are officially democracies, many would be more appropriately considered autocracies. Sarkozy, France, and the member states have a lot of work cut out for them if they are going to make the Mediterranean Union a success.

If the Mediterranean Union works, then that will be great for the world, showing that a region with diversity in 'race,' religion, politics, ideologies, and values can work together equitably and peacefully for the good of all in that region. In essence, unifying those which were divided.

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You'll probably notice that the blogs are written with awkward syntax and diction--chiefly, you might spot some pronouns that are missing or use of some words when you might feel others are more applicable. People have quirks, and this is a case of that. Have confidence that many people will still be able to get the gist of the posts. So hopefully it won't be too much of a hindrance for readers.